The present-day U.S. military qualifies by any measure as highly professional, much more so than its Cold War predecessor. Yet the purpose of today’s professionals is not to preserve peace but to fight unending wars in distant places. Intoxicated by a post-Cold War belief in its own omnipotence, the United States allowed itself to be drawn into a long series of armed conflicts, almost all of them yielding unintended consequences and imposing greater than anticipated costs. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. forces have destroyed many targets and killed many people. Only rarely, however, have they succeeded in accomplishing their assigned political purposes. . . . [F]rom our present vantage point, it becomes apparent that the “Revolution of ‘89” did not initiate a new era of history. At most, the events of that year fostered various unhelpful illusions that impeded our capacity to recognize and respond to the forces of change that actually matter.

Andrew Bacevich


Saturday, January 10, 2009

War News for Saturday, January 10, 2009

Jan. 7 airpower summary:

Jan. 8 airpower summary:

US Supreme Court to address Iraq immunity:

Canadian choppers start flying over Afghanistan:

Obama Under Pressure On Interrogation Policy: "Under my administration, the United States does not torture. We will abide by the Geneva Conventions. . . . We will uphold our highest values and ideals," Obama told reporters..... (We'll see)

Sri Lanka pushes further into rebel territory:


Reported Security incidents:

Baghdad:
#1: Ten hand grenades on Saturday were found inside a garbage can in downtown Baghdad city, according to a police source. “The grenades were found in Baghdad’s al-Tobaji neighborhood in light of intelligence tips from local residents,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

#2: Three civilians were wounded by a roadside bomb in Tayaran intersection in downtown Baghdad around 3 p.m.


Tuz Khurmato:
#1: One Iraqi army soldier was killed and three others were “seriously” wounded when a roadside bomb went off near their patrol in Touz Khormato suburb, said a source from the Iraqi army in Salah al-Din province. “The incident took place in Amarli district of Touz Khormato suburb, 80 km east of Tikrit city,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.



Afghanistan: "The Forgotten War"
#1: At least 11 people have been killed and 30 injured in sectarian clashes in northwest Pakistan, media reported Saturday. The clashes between two rival groups broke out Friday evening in Hangu district of North-West Frontier Province, private Geo TV channel said.

Sectarian violence has left at least seven people dead and 17 wounded in a remote town in northwest Pakistan, police said Saturday. The clashes broke out between rival Shiite and Sunni Muslim groups Friday and continued for a second day in the town of Hangu, local district official Mujibur Rehman told AFP.

Posted by whisker at 4:27 AM

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